Drum Sander Paper - Too Thin?

[Mike Chalmers]

I am slowly getting to know my King 16/32 open end drum sander. I can put the 80 grit belt that came with the machine on quite easily. The 120 grit I bought 100' of, is not working so well.

First of all, it is a little bit narrower than the one from King. I am guessing metric vice SAE. The result of this is that the paper does not end up in the correct spot unless I leave a small gap as I roll. I know the instructions say this is OK, but I would rather have a correct fit.

The other issue is that I cannot get it tight. On the 80 grit, I can feel the teeth engage and actually pull the end of the belt into the holder to ensure all is tight. I don't get that same feeling with the 120, and it is always loose right at the clamp. I'm thinking the paper is too thin for the teeth to properly engage.

Any other thoughts?

[William C Rogers]

Quickly from memory, there are different backings for sandpaper. You should have either "J" or "X" grade backing. Anything A-F will not be good. The grade should be marked on the sandpaper. You want a cloth backed sandpaper.

[Mike Chalmers]

Quickly from memory, there are different backings for sandpaper. You should have either "J" or "X" grade backing. Anything A-F will not be good. The grade should be marked on the sandpaper. You want a cloth backed sandpaper.

The belt that came with it is R 09 1 J. The roll is JJ. Don't know if that means anything or not. Both are cloth backed.

[William C Rogers]

I am guessing it is ok. I usually run mine for a couple of minutes and recheck it is tight. The only other thing I can think of would be the paper is too wide where it connects at the end.